Fish scalers are mechanical devices used to remove scales from fish prior to cleaning and preparing for cooking. Fish scalers are manually operated in a reciprocating motion parallel to the surface of a fish whose scales are being removed. Scalers typically have a number of sharp protrusions or points that are raked along the outer skin of a fish in a direction opposite to the direction of growth or attachment of the scales. The points catch the external edges of the scales and pull or force them to become detached from the skin of the fish.
Newly caught fish are frequently wet or slippery from having been in the water. In addition, when the fish are scaled after returning to the dock, water is frequently used as a rinsing agent during the process of cleaning the fish, to wash away the scales and other tissue that may be removed during the cleaning process. Because the skin of the fish is slippery, it is necessary to grasp the fish firmly, and to hold it tightly, during the scaling process. If heavy duty gloves are not used, it is possible for the person doing the scaling to nick, catch, abrade, or otherwise injure the hand that is holding the fish with the sharp points of the scaler.